2017 Season: Week #12 Recap

Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

BUFFALO                  7        10        14       14         45

KANSAS CITY         0          3         0         3          6

KANSAS CITY – With another dominating defensive performance, the Buffalo Bills (6-4-1) dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs 45-6.
Aaron Rodgers shined with 317 yards passing and 4 TD, but the real star of the game was the outstanding play of cornerback James Bradberry.
Bradberry finished with 3 INT (one for a TD) while allowing zero catches on the game for a perfect 'PFF' rating.
"Just trying to get better each week," Bradberry said. "People (were) all but burying us after week 8. We are champions."
With their new found defensive swagger, the Bills will next take on the New England Patriots in a quest to keep their Wild Card dreams alive. 

Carolina Panthers vs New York Jets

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

CAROLINA                7         0         3         0          10

NEW YORK               7         7         14      10         38

NEW YORK – The steady New York Jets (9-2) easily took care of the Carolina Panthers 38-10 in upstate New York Sunday morning.
David Johnson continued his MVP pace with 117 yards rushing and another 2 TD to add to his league leading 20 rushing scores.
"Look at our line," Johnson said. "I appreciate the credit I get, but I'm nothing without them."
Tyreek Hill took another long score to the house with a 68-yard 'dueces' moment.
The Jets will look to keep their top spot in the AFC intact as they take on the reeling Kansas City Chiefs next week. 

Miami Dolphins vs New England Patriots

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

MIAMI                       7        14        10       7          38

NEW ENGLAND      0        13        0         6         19

NEW YORK – In a game that saw Dak Prescott sacked 12 times, the Miami Dolphins (8-3, 2-1 AFC East) outlasted the New England Patriots (3-8, 0-2) 38-19 in Foxboro. 
Prescott finished with a respectable 323 yards passing with a pair of TD passes, but was under constant duress throughout.
"I can't put that all on the o-line," Prescott said. "We had a chance in this game, we'll be ready in 2 weeks when we see them again."
All Pro Bobby Wagner finished with a team high 4.0 sacks and an INT for the game.
"They are tough, despite the record," Wagner said. "We never felt like we had that in the bag until late. This division is tough. Look out for them next year, I'm telling you."
The Dolphins next face the Denver Broncos while the Patriots take on the Buffalo Bills. 

2017 Season: Week #11 Recap

New England vs Oakland Raiders (Mexico City)

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

NEW ENGLAND      0        10        6         9          25

OAKLAND                3          6         6         7          22

MEXICO CITY – With the score knotted at 22 apiece, Dan Bailey stood on foreign soil with time to think before deciding the outcome of the closely contested contest.
"I knew, with the altitude being something like 7,000 feet above sea level, that all I needed to do was kick it straight," Bailey said. "So I did."
Bailey's 47-yard field goal was true as time expired giving his New England Patriots (3-7) a second consecutive win in what had been a season to forget.
Oakland did all they could to keep their slim division lead intact, but the rough-and-tumble play of the hard-hitting duo of rookie Ruben Foster and Tre Boston dismantled any hopes the Raiders had of coming out on top.
"We were tone setters," Foster said. "We all (are) tired of this losing man. We came to play."
Late in the 4th, Foster delivered a crushing hit on the typically fumble proof Marshawn Lynch yielding to the game-winning drive to set up Bailey's clutch kick.
"He (Foster) has been amazing all year," Belichick said. "He's one of the most impressive rookie linebackers we've had in our building."
The 'road' crowd quickly turned in favor of the team from Boston with their style of play prompting Oakland's Jack Del Rio to fire a shot at the NFL.
"I think all this traveling road show stuff is a worthless gimmick," Del Rio said. "We needed our Oakland crowd today."
The Patriots will next look to make it 3-in-a-row as they take on their division rivals from Miami on Sunday. 

Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Chargers

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

BUFFALO                  21       17       7         7          52

LAC                             0         0         7         0          7

LOS ANGELES – If a team ever needed a blowout win (and who doesn't), these Buffalo Bills (5-4-1) needed one.
In a season filled with close calls, ties, and mild disappointment, the Buffalo Bills took out their frustration on the hapless Los Angeles Chargers with a 52-7 demolition Sunday in LA.
The Bills out-gained the Chargers 406 to 211 while allowing only 20 rushing yards. 
Philip Rivers was forced to run for his life all game behind a relentless pass rush led by rookie-of-the-year candidate Myles Garrett leading to four Rivers INTs (one returned 97-yards for a TD by Casey Hayward).
In short: The game was over mid-way through quarter number one.
"We needed this," Aaron Rodgers said. "People have been taking their best shots at us all year and it's nice to get up in that playoff discussion now."
With the win, the Bills are now firmly entrenched as the AFC's #6 seed.
This is certainly a team no one wants to face as a Wild Card team in the playoffs.
"Last year we were fortunate enough to get the #1 seed based on a tiebreaker (with Miami)," Todd Gurley said. "But it's all about getting in. There is a lot of football left to play and we want to play as long as we can into January and February."
The Bills next play the playoff aspiring Kansas City Chiefs in a Sunday showdown.

2017 Season: Week #10 Recap

New York Jets vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

NEW YORK               7         7        14       10         38

TAMPA BAY             7          0         7         8          22

TAMPA BAY – In a near perfect (passer rating) performance, Derek Carr led his Jets (8-2) to a 38-22 victory over a tough Tampa Bay squad Sunday morning.
Carr finished 18-23 with 285 yards and a TD.
Runningback David Johnson was a beast near the goalline tallying another trio of TD runs.
"We are just keeping the train moving," Carr said. "We've got a good thing going and we'll look to rest up during this bye and come out stronger after."
If the season finished today, the Jets would be the AFC's #1 seed.
The team heads into their bye flying high. 

Miami Dolphins vs Carolina Panthers

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

MIAMI                      14        27       7         7          55

CAROLINA                7         5         7         7          26

CAROLINA – After the team's loss to the hot New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins (7-3) have quietly racked up 3-wins in a row while sporting a much-improved passing game.
Teddy Bridgewater, who sat out the entire second half after his team exploded for 41 points in the first half, finished with a perfect 158.3 passer rating picking up four TD passes (three to Keenan Allen) to go along with 226 yards.
In a clock-killing second half, Jacoby Brissett led the team toward nine 3rd down conversions - an area the team has struggled with throughout the season. 
"We saw a lot of good things today," Adam Gase said." I give Jacoby (Brissett) credit for getting the job done in the second half after Teddy had himself a great half number one."
Miami heads into their bye at 7-3. The team looks to be in line for their 3rd consecutive playoff appearance if they can finish strong after the break. 

New Orleans Saints vs Buffalo Bills

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

NEW ORLEANS       14       7         3        17          41

BUFFALO                   7       14        3         0           24

BUFFALO – A 4th quarter surge by the visiting New Orleans Saints doomed the reigning Super Bowl champs from Buffalo (4-4-1) as the team fell 24-41 Sunday in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
After battling back from an early 14-point hole, Aaron Rodgers and company ran out of gas late.
"Sure, it's disappointing losing," Rodgers said. "But it's that old adage that you have a target on your back as defending champions. We have seven games left to prove we are ready to defend that title."
The Bills next head cross country to take on Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers.  

New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

NEW ENGLAND      0         9         17       13        39

DENVER                   7        10         7        10         34

DENVER – Bill Belichick told reporters all week that his team was not discouraged despite their 1-7 start to the season and that he believed this trip to Mile High Stadium would be the week they turned it around.
He was right.
New England (2-7) was finally able to finish a fourth quarter en route to a 39-34 victory over the AFC West leading Denver Broncos in front of a stunned home crowd. 
"This season obviously has been off based on our standards," Belichick offered. "But if you look at the AFC, we still can fight to have a chance to get in the playoffs in the end."
All week Dak Prescott preached about ball security and the second-year signal caller helped his team with an impressive stat line of 13-19, for 282 yards passing and two TDs. Most importantly: Zero turnovers.
"Our defense is really good," Prescott said. "We've been making it tough on them at the end of games. Today we put it all together."
Jonathan Stewart continued his impressive season with 16 carries for 125 yards and a pair of his own touchdowns.
Veteran Danny Trevathan helped seal the game with a late interception.
"It's time to go out and get a 2nd in a row down in Mexico City," Trevathan said. "Let's get these wins in bunches."
The Patriots will now travel south of the border for a unique road game in Mexico City against the playoff hopeful Oakland Raiders.

2017 Season: Week #9 Recap

Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

BUFFALO                   0         9         6         7          22

NEW YORK              14       21      14         0          49

NEW YORK – If not for a muffed punt by Tyreek Hill versus Jacksonville and a pair of Nick Folk misses (before he was traded), the New York Jets (7-2, 4-1 AFC East) could be staring an undefeated season in the face with no signs of slowing down after their convincing 49-22 victory over the Buffalo Bills (4-3-1, 0-2) on Thursday night.
A dominant defensive effort by Brandon Marshall and company yielded only eight yards rushing and, despite a 400 yard passing game by Aaron Rodgers, the Jets were in control from the start. 
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks was unguardable with 207 yards receiving and three TDs.
"It's someone new each week with us," Cooks said. "Our GM came in and preached this 3-year plan to everyone in 2015. I wasn't here then, but we trust in this process and we just need to keep it rolling each week."
The Jets now fully control their own destiny in an effort to take home the AFC East crown. The last two Super Bowl winners have also been AFC East champs.
The Bills will hope to regroup next week against the New Orleans Saints while the Jets will take on Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Oakland Raiders vs Miami Dolphins

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

OAKLAND                 0       13        0         0          13

MIAMI                       3         7        14       17         41

MIAMI – Trailing 3-13 early in the 2nd quarter, Miami's (6-3) Adam Gase called one of his patented 'basketball timeouts' to unload on his special teams unit after Oakland's scoop-and-score following a Raiders field goal. 
From that point on, Gase's squad got the message. The Raiders never again crossed midfield as the team had to settle for a 167 yard day on offense while the Dolphins exploded for 38 unanswered points in the route.
"I was pissed," Gase said. "I firmly believe, if we play our game, we should be in every game with a chance to win at the end. Giving away points like that is an insult to our defenders who work their tails off to keep our opponents out of the end zone."
Byron Jones, who has played all over the field for Miami this season, finished with five tackles and an early INT in the win.
Miami next heads to North Carolina to take on the Panthers. 

2017 Season: Week #8 Recap

Oakland Raiders vs Buffalo Bills

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

OAKLAND                 3         3         0         0          6

BUFFALO                   7        20        7         3          37

BUFFALO – The Buffalo Bills (4-2-1) ran away from the Oakland Raiders 37-6 Sunday morning. 
In a dominant defensive performance, the Bills yielded only 218 offensive yards to the EJ Manuel led Oakland squad. 
Ryan Matthews filled in admirably for the injured Todd Gurley with 151 yards rushing and a pair of TDs.
"This was a strong team effort from us," coach Sean McDermott said. "We've been battling some injuries all year and I'm proud of our 'next man up' attitude."
The Bills next face their rivals from New York as they travel to Jets country. 

Miami Dolphins vs Baltimore Ravens

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

MIAMI                       17       10       7         3          34

BALTIMORE             7         3         3         0          13

BALTIMORE – The Miami Dolphins (5-3) ran away from the Baltimore Ravens 34-13 on Thursday night. 
With a rushing attacking racking up 245 yards, Teddy Bridgewater also took flight with his most impressive performance of the season with a 13-19 passing night for 293 yards and a TD.
"I know the passing game has been behind," Bridgewater said. "But tonight we turned a corner."
Miami lost another key player as rookie Jamal Adams was lost for the season with a muscle injury.
The Dolphins next face the Oakland Raiders in an important playoff seeding matchup.

Atlanta Falcons vs New York Jets

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

ATLANTA                 0         0         0         7           7

NY JETS                   21      28        7        10          66

NEW YORK – The New York Jets (6-2) defeated the Atlanta Falcons (0-8) 66-7 Sunday in MetLife Stadium. 
In yet another puzzling performance, the Falcons again plummeted to new lows tossing five picks while managing 144 yards of offense. 
Despite their continued stink bombs following last year's strong season, this latest blow out could more be credited to the defensive pressure being applied to the league's Super Bowl favorites from New York.
Todd Bowles has had to start resting starters in many second halves of games due to his team's convincing victories.
"It's certainly a nice problem to have," Bowles said. "But this is the NFL. We are honestly one week at a time."
David Johnson continued his MVP pace with 155 yards rushing and 3 TD. 
The Jets will stay home for an AFC East showdown with the Buffalo Bills. 

Los Angeles Chargers vs New England Patriots

                                     1         2         3         4          FINAL

LA CHARGERS        0        17        0        10         27

NEW ENGLAND      3        13         0         0          16

FOXBORO – In yet another late disappointment, the New England Patriots (1-7) dropped a home game to the Los Angeles Chargers 27-16.
Dak Prescott continued his abysmal start to the season with only 48 yards passing.
The lone bright spot offensively for the Patriots was veteran Jonathan Stewart's 162 yards rushing to go along with his TD.
"It's not been our year," Stewart said. "But we are not quitters. We'll keep grinding.
The Patriots limp into their bye week at 1-7.